Stud orienter

ABSTRACT

A stud orienter having only one moving part, a slide, with a plurality of compartments each of which accepts a single unoriented stud, the slide resting upon a body member which has a plurality of stud orienting cutouts, the slide transferring the studs across the body allowing each stud to drop through an orienting cutout threaded end upward in readiness to be pressed into a mating part.

United States Patent [1 Lowe [ 1 Sept. 17, 1974 STUD ORIENTER [76] Inventor: Charles Thomas Lowe, 5165 Torrey Rd., Flint, Mich. 48507 [22] Filed: Nov. 28, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 296,140

[52] U.S. Cl. 221/172 [51] Int. Cl B65h 9/04 [58] Field of Search 221/171, 172, 173, I56

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,533,534 10/1970 Gaydon 22l/l7l FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 750,395 l/l945 Germany 221/l7l Primary ExaminerStanley H. Tollberg Attorney. Agent, or Firm-Woodhams, Blanchard, and Flynn 5 7 ABSTRACT A stud orienter having only one moving part, a slide, with a plurality of compartments each of which accepts a single unoriented stud, the slide resting upon a body member which has a plurality of stud orienting cutouts, the slide transferring the studs across the body allowing each stud to drop through an orienting cutout threaded end upward in readiness to be pressed into a mating part.

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 1 STUD ORIENTER This invention relates to a device for orienting studs and more particularly has reference to means for orienting a plurality of studs in one simple motion.

The orienter accomplishes the above objective as follows:

The orienter has two main parts, the body proper and a slide. The slide serves two functions, it carries the studs across the body and allows them to be oriented and at the same time it blocks off the following group of oncoming studs.

The portion of the body which supports the studs is sideways inclined and has a plurality of elongated cutaways which are stairstep shaped on the lower ends thereof and at the higher ends thereof have means, such as for example a wire, a knife blade edge, a jet of air, etc., for engaging the threaded end of a stud. Individual stops, which are a fixed part of the body, block each stud until the slide has moved the stud directly over the higher stairstep of the cutaway. Then the studs which have their unthreaded end lying on the thread engaging means start to slide and when they have slid off the means, each falls through a respective cutaway, threaded end upward. The means engaging the threaded end of the remaining studs prevents them from sliding until the slide has carried them to the position where the lower stairstep of the cutaway permits each stud to fall through a respective cutaway, threaded end upward.

The studs are thus oriented by the simple motion of a slide moving a plurality of un-oriented studs across a plurality of double acting cutaways in the orienter body.

The following detailed description will show this orienter to be foolproof, easy and inexpensive to construct, and extremely simple in operation.

A preferred embodiment of the device is illustrated by the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the orienter. The body proper has stairstep shaped cutaways shown by the combination of both solid and dashed lines. The slide forms compartments for the studs and the right end of the slide terminates in an arrowhead to indicate its operative direction.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary isometric view of the orienter in which the body proper is terminated along line 77 at FIG. 1 and the slide is terminated along line 8-8 of FIG. 1, and showing the interrelation of body, slide, and studs.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary isometric view of the orienter in which the body proper is terminated along line 9-9 of FIG. 1 and the slide is terminated along line 10-10 of FIG. 1 and thereafter the slide is shifted right one half its operational travel to show the interrelation of body, slide, and stud at that critical point.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 3 and shows the orienting of a stud having its unthreaded end on the thread engaging means.

FIG. is a fragmentary isometric view of the orienter in which the body proper is terminated along line 9-9 of FIG. 1 and the slide is terminated along line -10 of FIG. 1 and thereafter the slide is shifted right to its full operational travel to show the interrelation of body, slide, and stud at that critical point.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view along line 12-12 of FIG. 12 and shows the orienting of a stud having its threaded end on the thread engaging means.

In operation, a supply source terminating in inclined chutes 13, FIG. 2, allows studs 14 to slide by gravity into a plurality of compartments formed by the slide 15 on the body 16 of the orienter. The stops 17, which are a fixed part of the body 16, hold the studs in position. The body 16 has a plurality of cutaways 18 which are stairstep shaped on the lower end and at the higher end have means, such as for example the wire 19, for engaging the threaded end of a stud. The wire 19 rests in the groove 20 and is stretched taunt and secured (securing mechanism not shown) at either end of the body 16.

When the operating solenoid, not shown, is energized a hydraulic or air cylinder or simular means, not shown, gives motion to the slide 15. As the slide 15 moves forward, i.e., to the right in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 5, its upper edge acts as a continuous stop to block off the oncoming studs through its complete forward and reverse cycle of travel. The slide 15 travels in a continuous motion from left to right. When the slide 15 has moved the studs 14 to the position where they break contact with their respective stops 17, FIG. 3, the studs 14 are directly over the higher stairstep at the lower end of the cutaway 18. The studs which have their unthreaded end resting on the wire 19 start to slide lengthwise. As soon as the studs slide off the wire 19 they fall through the cutaways 18, threaded end upward, FIG. 4.

The wire 19 engaging the threaded end of the remaining studs 14 prevents them from sliding until the slide has traveled to a point at which the studs fall through the lower stairstep at the lower end of the cutaways 18, threaded end upward, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6.

Each stud 14 in each compartment of the slide 15 has now been oriented, threaded end upward, as they dropped through the cutaways 18 of the body 16 in readiness to be pressed into a mating part. The aforesaid slide solenoid is de-energized and the slide 15 returns, left, allowing another group of studs 14 to enter the individual compartments of said slide, and the orienting cycle is complete.

The orienter would be fabricated preferrably from a hard metal.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A device having substantially a board shaped body and a board shaped slide thereon, the body and slide being sideways tilted, the body having a plurality of raised bosses near the lower side of the body and which are aligned longitudinally on the body, the body also having a plurality of elongated cutouts disposed transversely and aligned longitudinally on the body, the elongated cutouts having a stairstep shape at the lower ends thereof, the body having a groove extending longitudinally from end to end and having disposed therein a taunt wire spanning the elongated cutouts near their higher end; said slide having its lower edge resting against said bosses and being longitudinally slidable on said body, the higher edge of the slide acting as a continuous stop to block off the following group of oncoming studs when the slide is in motion, the slide having a plurality of tunnel like compartments disposed transversely to accept a stud lengthwise and allow the stud to rest on the body, the slide being positioned such that studs enter said compartments and are stopped by said bosses on the body, the slide being longitudinally movable and capable of moving studs beyond said stops and over said cutouts where the studs can slide lengthwise and become oriented as they fall through said cutouts.

2. An orienting apparatus for elongated studs having an externally threaded portion adjacent one end thereof and an externally unthreaded portion adjacent the opposite end thereof, comprising: an elongated generally planar body having an opening therethrough through which a stud can fall by gravity; an elongated generally planar slide mounted on top of said body for back and forth lengthwise sliding movement thereon, said slide having an open-bottomed transverse compartment therein for receiving a stud therein, said slide being movable longitudinally relative to said body between a position in which the open bottom of said compartment is closed by said body and a position in which said compartment is positioned over said opening whereat a stud in said compartment can drop through said opening; said opening in said body having spacedapart support means disposed below said slide for underlying and supporting the threaded portion of a stud, regardless of its orientation relative to said opening, while the stud is positioned with said opposite end thereof being unsupported so that said stud can pivot about the position of support of said threaded portion by said support means and fall downwardly through said opening in an upright position; whereby said unthreaded portion of said stud precedes said threaded portion as said stud falls through said opening.

3. An orienting apparatus according to claim 2, in which said support means comprises an edge at one end of said opening and positioning means provided adjacent the opposite end of said opening so that when said threaded portion of the stud, as fed by said' slide, is supported on said edge, the unthreaded portion is free to drop into said opening, andwhen said threaded portion of the stud, as fed by the slide, is supported by said positioning means, the unthreaded portion is free to drop into said opening.

4. An orienting apparatus for elongated studs having an externally threaded portion adjacent one end thereof and an externally unthreaded portion at the opposite end thereof, comprising: an elongated body having an opening therethrough through which a stud can fall by gravity; a slide mounted on top of said body for back and forth lengthwise sliding movement thereon, said slide having an open-bottomed transverse compartment therein for receiving a stud therein, said slide being movable longitudinally relative to said body between a position in which the open bottom of said compartment is closed by said body and a position in which said compartment is positioned over said opening whereat a stud in said compartment can drop through said opening; support means extending across said opening and disposed below said slide for underlying and supporting the threaded portion of a stud, regardless of its orientation relative to said opening, so that said stud can pivot about the position of support of said threaded portion by said support means and fall downwardly through said opening in an upright position when the opposite end of the stud is unsupported.

5. An orienting apparatus according to claim 4, in which said supporting means comprises an edge at one end of said opening and a taut wire extending across said opening toward the other end of said opening, said edge having longitudinally spaced, transversely offset portions. 

1. A device having substantially a board shaped body and a board shaped slide thereon, the body and slide being sideways tilted, the body having a plurality of raised bosses near the lower side of the body and which are aligned longitudinally on the body, the body also having a plurality of elongated cutouts disposed transversely and aligned longitudinally on the body, the elongated cutouts having a stairstep shape at the lower ends thereof, the body having a groove extending longitudinally from end to end and having disposed therein a taunt wire spanning the elongated cutouts near their higher end; said slide having its lower edge resting against said bosses and being longitudinally slidable on said body, the higher edge of the slide acting as a continuous stop to block off the following group of oncoming studs when the slide is in motion, the slide having a plurality of tunnel like compartments disposed transversely to accept a stud lengthwise and allow the stud to rest on the body, the slide being positioned such that studs enter said compartments and are stopped by said bosses on the body, the slide being longitudinally movable and capable of moving studs beyond said stops and over said cutouts where the studs can slide lengthwise and become oriented as they fall through said cutouts.
 2. An orienting apparatus for elongated studs having an externally threaded portion adjacent one end thereof and an externally unthreaded portion adjacent the opposite end thereof, comprising: an elongated generally planar body having an opening therethrough through which a stud can fall by gravity; an elongated generally planar slide mounted on top of said body for back anD forth lengthwise sliding movement thereon, said slide having an open-bottomed transverse compartment therein for receiving a stud therein, said slide being movable longitudinally relative to said body between a position in which the open bottom of said compartment is closed by said body and a position in which said compartment is positioned over said opening whereat a stud in said compartment can drop through said opening; said opening in said body having spaced-apart support means disposed below said slide for underlying and supporting the threaded portion of a stud, regardless of its orientation relative to said opening, while the stud is positioned with said opposite end thereof being unsupported so that said stud can pivot about the position of support of said threaded portion by said support means and fall downwardly through said opening in an upright position; whereby said unthreaded portion of said stud precedes said threaded portion as said stud falls through said opening.
 3. An orienting apparatus according to claim 2, in which said support means comprises an edge at one end of said opening and positioning means provided adjacent the opposite end of said opening so that when said threaded portion of the stud, as fed by said slide, is supported on said edge, the unthreaded portion is free to drop into said opening, and when said threaded portion of the stud, as fed by the slide, is supported by said positioning means, the unthreaded portion is free to drop into said opening.
 4. An orienting apparatus for elongated studs having an externally threaded portion adjacent one end thereof and an externally unthreaded portion at the opposite end thereof, comprising: an elongated body having an opening therethrough through which a stud can fall by gravity; a slide mounted on top of said body for back and forth lengthwise sliding movement thereon, said slide having an open-bottomed transverse compartment therein for receiving a stud therein, said slide being movable longitudinally relative to said body between a position in which the open bottom of said compartment is closed by said body and a position in which said compartment is positioned over said opening whereat a stud in said compartment can drop through said opening; support means extending across said opening and disposed below said slide for underlying and supporting the threaded portion of a stud, regardless of its orientation relative to said opening, so that said stud can pivot about the position of support of said threaded portion by said support means and fall downwardly through said opening in an upright position when the opposite end of the stud is unsupported.
 5. An orienting apparatus according to claim 4, in which said supporting means comprises an edge at one end of said opening and a taut wire extending across said opening toward the other end of said opening, said edge having longitudinally spaced, transversely offset portions. 